We both own necklaces, for starters. Necklace, handmade, Turkish. On display at IWM North. EPH 796

So, what else does Claire’s Accessories have to do with Social Interpretation?

Recently, Claire’s Accessories got into a bit of bother. They were apparently caught taking a little too much inspiration in their designs from an independent jewellery designer. This post isn’t about the ethics of design and intellectual property however. Instead, it’s about how Claire’s reacted when their users started to complain / debate / kick-off about their actions.

QR Codes are the cause of much debate / argument / kitten killing, both in and outside of Social Interpretation. But why do we need them? What are the different options? And if using QR, what can one do to make them as usable as possible?

Which would do you prefer?

Why this debate at all?

To put it simply, because we want to enable people to use objects (or anything physical) as keys into more information. This might be info about an object, a theme, or maybe a discussion or piece of media. To do this, we need some way to bridge the physical/digital divide.

About the Project

This is a blog about making social objects out of museum objects.
The Social Interpretation project is part of the Digital R&D Fund for Arts and Culture supported by Arts Council England, Arts and Humanities Research Council and NESTA.